Remove Entrepreneur Remove Leadership Remove Microfinance Remove System
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The Innovation Mindset in Action: Shantha Ragunathan

Harvard Business Review

Sasikala, a Block Development Officer (BDO), talked to the Kodapattinam villagers about microfinance , only Shantha, of all the villagers, saw the opportunity and took action. Selling the cow''s milk would create an income stream, a portion of which would repay the loan; the remainder would lift the cow-owning entrepreneur out of poverty.

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Funders Can Give More than Money

Harvard Business Review

Six years ago, David and Donna Allman approached Opportunity with an idea that fell outside our traditional microfinance model: to build a Community Economic Development (CED) program in Nicaragua. Together, we've constructed school libraries, repaired churches, built roads, and, crucially, ensured clean water through new aqueduct systems.

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Entrepreneurs: You're More Important Than Your Business Plan

Harvard Business Review

Instead, we look at eight broad rules for success, half of which are about the entrepreneur herself (not her business plan). These are lessons we've learned from investing $30 million over the last 25 years in 500+ social start-ups about what make a promising social entrepreneur, but they are equally applicable to any entrepreneur.